MANCHESTER-On November 7, 2018, members of the Manchester Township Police Department responded to a report of a burglary to Returns Worldwide, LLC., a commercial business located at 103 Lacey Road in the Whiting section of Manchester Township. The business owner reported that approximately $35,000.00 worth of printers, electronics, and household products were stolen from his place of business overnight. An investigation was conducted which included a canvas of the surrounding businesses. During the canvas, exterior security cameras were located at a nearby business which captured the burglary. With the assistance of the victim/ business owner, the suspect was positively identified through the security camera footage as being former employee, Boruch Berger a 19 year old male from Brooklyn, New York.
As the investigation progressed, information was developed regarding the possible location of the stolen property. The information led Manchester officers to a warehouse on Industrial Way, Toms River. Located inside the warehouse was a majority of the items that had been reported stolen. The stolen property was seized, pending release to the business owner. Contact was later made with the suspect via telephone, who agreed to meet officers at Manchester Police headquarters. Mr. Berger was subsequently arrested and charged with burglary and theft. He was processed and released on a summons in accordance with the New Jersey Bail Reform Act. The investigation is ongoing and being conducted by Ptl. Anthony Iliadis, Ptl. Chris Cerullo and Det. Craig Beaulieu. The Ocean County Sheriff’s Department’s Crime Scene Investigations Unit assisted at the scene.
Manchester Police would like to thank the local businesses that granted us access to view their security camera footage as it played a significant role in the expeditious identification of the burglar. This quick identification, aided the Manchester Police Department in being able to quickly recover a bulk of the stolen property.
The Manchester Police Department would like to remind our residents and business owners that they may voluntarily register their security camera systems with the department through the Operation Watchdog program which had been established earlier this year. Information regarding the program is listed below and additional information can be found at the web address provided.
The Manchester Police Department is committed to a productive partnership with the community. In an effort to expand that partnership and provide more comprehensive services to the community, The Manchester Police Department has initiated a program called, Operation Watch Dog. The program encourages residents and businesses to register their privately owned home/business video surveillance in efforts to increase safety and reduce crime. The department recognizes that crimes can be committed at any place or time and that home/business video surveillance may have captured vital footage that could help solve crimes in our community. During a criminal investigation our officers are often unaware of the many residences and businesses that have surveillance systems that may have captured footage of value to the investigation. Having knowledge of the location of a surveillance system in the area of a crime could be instrumental in a speedy and successful resolution. http://manchesterpolicenj.com/operationwatchdog/
